Automatic machinery for screwing caps upon jars



E. DEMSKI March 19, 1957 AUTOMATIC MACHINERY FOR SCREWING CAPS UPON JARS 6 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan.

INVENTOR ATTQRNEYJ E. DEMSKI March 19, 1957 AUTOMATIC MACHINERY FOR SCREWING CAPS UPON JARS 6 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Jan. 2, 1952 INVENTOR Zfl/fl ATTORNEYS E. DEMSKI March 19, 1957 AUTOMATIC MACHINERY FOR SCREWING CAPS UPON JARS Filed Jan. 2, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 A xi: 1

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INVENTOR ATTORNEY5 E. DEMSKI March 19, 1957 AUTOMATIC MACHINERY FOR SCREWING CAPS UPON JARS 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 2,. 1952 BY MW ATTORNEY5 E. DEMSKI March 19, 1957 AUTOMATIC MACHINERY FOR SCREWING CAPS UPON JARS Filed Jan. 2, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR M 9 ATTORNEYS March 19, 1957 E. DEMSKI 2,785,521

AUTOMATIC MACHINERY FOR SCREWING CAPS UPON JARS Filed Jan- 25 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 v INVENTOR ATTORN EYJ Uni d m P e I AUTOMATIC t -MACHINERY FOR-- SCREWING CAPS UPON JARS l Edward Deinski,' Chi cago, n1,- assignorto Franklin Balrnar-Corpbration; a corporation of Delaware 1 Application January 2, 195 2, Serial No. 264,493

8 Claims. (Cl. 53-6315) This invention relates: to automatic "machinery for screwing caps upon jars, and more particularly to a' machine fon rsetting aortighteningloosely-applied caps .of

screwrty-pewjarst or bottles, ,havin'gla capping tunit or cap setterwhichvis adapted to set the' caps sufliciently tight to: prevent. loss aof contents-of -the jar but not so tight as to require excessive force to unscrew the caps.

The 1 primary object of the-invention is the novel adaptation ofa capping machine of the above character for thehandlingof a large range of jar sizes, both as toarresting and gripping mechanism; for the power-driven operation of the various moving parts;for the common drive of said parts and the coordination of their operations; and for adjustments'of one or more of the fol lowing and other "features: the spacing betweentheja'r' guide means; the size, spacing between, and strokeof the jar arresting-and gripping means; the'size and type of capping head; the speed, stroke, rotation, and torque of the capping head; and the operating relationships between said head and the jar arresting and gripping means.

Still -further, the invention contemplates the mounting of a drive unit for themachine on a verticallyreciprocable carriage; the use of saidcarriage in common for mounting-thedriveunit-tand thecapping unit; the adjustability of the stroke of said carriage; the employmenflofa single drive unit, suchas an electricmotor, with driving connectionsadapted to operate, in proper timed relation,---the reciprocation of the capping unit, the rotation of the capping head, and the gripping and releasingactiom oftheclamps or the-likewhich arrest and grip the jars during the cap-setting I operation; theprovision of "a jar I clamping. mechanism; rhaving detachable and replaceable gripperswarranged in the form of a pair-of cooperating opposed V-members, which carry cushion-like friction? elements forl gripping the jars; and the provision of novel linkages for interconnecting the various operating :parts' of themachine, and associated adjustment mechanisms which are readily set in different adjusted positions to suit ditferent sizes of jars orbottles, but which will be' very reliablein the maintenance 'of any desired adjustmental.

Howwthe foregoing together with such other objects and advantages as are incident to orinherentin the in-;" ventiom are attained, will be'evident, to those skilled in: the artyfrorn the'following description when taken with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure -l is a front elevational view of a machine con-'- structedin accordancewith the invention, the viewbe ice ingtipartly in section substantially on the 1l1'i'6 1-'1 0f':

Figure 2; I

Figure 2 is-a sectional elevational view of the'machine it taken substantiallyon the line 2-2 of Figure 1;- l

FigHre-B is-a plan. section of the machine taken-substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a detailed plan-view of a carriage-for supporting the driving unit "of themachine;

Figured is a fragmentaryplansection taken on the Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan section taken on the line 6-6 of FigureZ;

Figure 7 is avertical sectional view'of a capping-unit employed;

Figure 8 is' a 'sectionahelevational view showing the position of the parts with the-crank wheel-rotated180 from the; positionof Figure 2;

Figure 9 is atfragmentaryaface view of the: crankwheelw and-associated parts, some of them being in. section;

Figure 10 isan:enlarged pl'an section taken on the line 5 lip-i Figure l with-the'guide bar omitted inorder:

to show: clearly .ithe'zbrake mechanism employed in the-- machine;

Figure 11 is a faceviewofFigtire'lO;

Figure. '12 is a -fragmentary detail view of the brake:

andwassociated guide bar; and

Fi'guredS shows-the parts of Figure12 in a different position of adjustment...

A: typical machine embodying the invention comprises;

in general, wsuitable irame jstructure F havinghorizontalframing ,members 14 10 and-11, 11, and vertical-framing 1 members 12 and-13;"a driving' unit'D mountedona care" riage 14; a capping unit or cap setter C; jar receiving and" guiding rails -G-and G'*for the jars I; and clamping mechanism-M for arresting and grippingthe jars so as to stop-fand hold them at a capping station during the capping or 'cap settingxoperation; and preferably, in association with the foregoing, Ea conveyor unit R (desirably of a reciprocatingttype') fo'rpadvancing the jars onwhich'the" caps: ,aremto be set, and: a braking mechanism B l at "the capping-station -for retardingthe jars, particularly when the machine isoperating at-verynhigh speedsfi It should 2 be understood however that :theparticular conveyor!- mechanism and its reciprocating driving system'as herein shown", the-braking mechanism 1B; and certain associated parts; talthoughw illustrated 1- and' deseribed hereimbecause'f of their. association with features? of my inventionfido not in themselves; constitute elements of my invention; certain:

of nthe same beingzclaimed in copending application-oi Arthur H. Filander,-entitled Jar-Handling Equipme'fit for Capping Machines, Serial No. 264,495 vfiled- JanuarytZ,

1953, nowiPatent No.- 2,65 6 ,084; and assigned to the :as-

signee zof :thisdinven'tion. Referringnow to the con struction of Itheimachine in more detail:

The drive unit- D comprisesya motor 15,"a worm 1'6= mounted" on tone end -of'-'the motor shaft; a worm wheel 17 mounted .on the-driveshaft 18 of the capping unit'C; a gear 19 :mounted'onthe; other end of the motor shaft,

a meshing-gear: Zilmrnounted :on the'shaft'zlofa drive pulley 522, -and:a' crank Whtii 23 driven frorn'the drive pulleyibya belt 24. t

The.crank T-wheel 23-( as best seen: in Figs; 1, 2 and9)" is provided with-a crankpin25 Coir Whichthe head 26'of' a rod 27 is mounted-by means of a bearing-26:2 The rod 27 is pivotallyaanchored to the'fram'eof the machine"- by means ofa trunnion 28=mounted in bea1ings29;='the3= rod27 being ;adju'stably ?secured to the memberQSnbyt'a set-screw'30. 1

Asthus far-wdescribed it will: be seen than whenvthe" crank wheel 23is rotatecl-the-crank pin causeswthencarerriage.14,@carryingathedrive t1nit;D,;to move up and down due to the anchorage of the rod 27.

Patentedivial. 19,1957

The carriage is mounted for this up and down movement by means of wheels 31 riding on rails 32 carried by the upright frame members 12. As best seen in Figures 1, 2 and 4, the carriage 14 has a base 14a on which the motor 15 with the gear case 16a and the bearing 23a for the crank wheel 23 are mounted, and four upwardly extending side arms 14b each of which carries a pair of the wheels 31, the wheels being spaced widely apart to counteract any tilting action due to the overhang of the crank drive and the capping unit as viewed in Figure 2.

The capping unit is secured to the drive shaft 18 by means of a key 33 and set screw 34 (see Figure 7) and therefore the capping unit is brought into engagement and disengagement with the jar caps as the carriage is moved up and down.

Jars J, with their caps or lids hand applied thereon are fed to the machine by any known form of feeding conveyors arranged for either parallel or right angle feed to the machine, the lead in rails associated with such feeders being indicated at T and T' in Figure 3. An adjustable feed or end guide 35 is provided for the jars being fed to the machine, the guide being adjusted to suit the particular diameter of jar being handled, which, in this instance, is illustrated as being of the quart Mason jar size. The lead in rail T is also adjustable as by means of .a screw and slot connection 35a to suit the diameter of jar being handled.

In this connection it is pointed out that it is contemplated that jars of various heights and diameters will be handled in the machine, for example, jars ranging from 2% inches to 4% inches in diameter and from 3% inches to 7% inches in height. To enable the handling of the large variety of jar sizes falling in the above range, the feed guide 35, the lead in rail T, the clamping mechanism M, the guide rails G and G, the brake B, the capping unit C and the conveyor unit R are made adjustable in a simple manner, as will appear hereinafter.

As seen in Figures 1 and 3, the jars are guided by the lead in rails T or T, as the case may be, onto the horizontal frame members 10 of the machine and are then fed along these members in step-by-step movement by the reciprocating conveyor R, the jars being guided against lateral displacement by the guide rails G and G.

The guide rails G and G are mounted for up and down adjustment in accordance with the height of jar being capped, and also for adjustment toward and away from each other in accordance with the diameter of jar being capped. Rotatab'ly adjustable mounting studs 36 are provided for the guide rails, and (as seen in Figs. 10 to 13), the mounting studs are adapted to be secured in various adjusted positions by means of screws 37. The mounting studs for the guide rail G are secured to the frame members 12 and the mounting studs for the guide rail G are secured in brackets 38 carried by the front frame member 10.

In Figure 12 the guide rail G is shown adjusted for one height of jar and in Figure 13 it is shown adjusted to a higher position for a taller jar. In order to properly guide jars of different diameter the guide rails are adjustably mounted in the studs 36 for in and out movement by means of rods 39 and set screws 40.

The reciprocating conveyor R comprises conveyor bars 41 having wheels 42 riding on rails 43 secured to the horizontal frame members 10; gravity loaded pusher pins or fingers 44 for engaging and pushing the jars along the rail members 10 when the conveyor bar 41 is in its forward travel, i. e., in its travel to the left as viewed in Figures 1 and 3; and a bell crank lever having its arms 45, 45 connected by shaft 45a for imparting reciprocatory motion to the conveyor bars 41 and having connection therewith by means of an adjustable link 46 and bracket 47. The pusher pins 44 are replaceably screwed into the counterweights 49 whereby pins of ditferent lengths may be employed to suit the particular size jars being conveyed. The counterweights are pivotally carried by the conveyor bars by means of pivot pins 48 fitting holes in the conveyor bars spaced therealong a distance somewhat greater than the diameter of the largest size jar to be handled in the machine. In the backward travel of the conveyor bars the pusher pins 44 pivot downwardly and pass under the jars, which remain stationary, and as the bars approach the end of their backward stroke the pins swing up under influence of counterweights 49. The backward stroke continues until the pins assume a position clear of the jars a distance indicated at 44a in Figure 1. This clearance provides a delaying action before the pins advance the jars on the forward stroke of the conveyor to enable the capping unit C to be raised free of the jar just capped in the backward stroke of the conveyor.

As seen in Figures 1 to 3, and 5 and 6, the clamping mechanism M for gripping the jars when they are being capped comprises clamp arms 50 hinged at 5l to adjustable hinge lugs 52 mounted on a turnbuckle 53 carried by lugs 54 secured to the frame members 11; pads 55 for gripping the jars; angular plates 56 secured to the clamp arms at their upper portions to which the pads are secured; and leverage, indicated as a whole by the reference letter L, for operating the clamps to be fully described hereinafter.

As best seen in Figure 3, the angular plates are in the form of a flat V, of about 120 included angle; and the double V formed by the two clamps acts to center the jar as it is being gripped. The clamp pads 55 are preferably constructed of a rubber compound and their gripping surfaces are preferably provided with circular grooves 55a (see Figure 1) to give them an effective grip.

The pads 55 are adjustable by means of screws 55b to aid in properly adjusting the mechanism for centering jars of different diameters under the capping head and to give an equal grip at each pad. Final grip adjustment is accomplished by means of the turnbuckle 53.

The capping unit or cap setter C which is secured to the drive shaft 18 by means of the key 33 and set screw 34 above mentioned comprises a driving sleeve 58, a friction body member 59 fitting the driving sleeve and retained by a pin and slot connection 60; friction inserts 61, preferably of fibre, carried by the member 59 and having a tapered bore 62 and keyways 63; a tapered driving member 64 fitting the tapered bore 62 and having keys 65 fitting the keyways 63; a torque adjusting nut 66 screwed onto the body member 59 and engaging the driving member 64; and adapter member 67 secured to the driving member 64; and a capping head 68 secured on the adapter member and having an insert 69, preferably of rubber, for gripping the jar lid to be tightened.

It is pointed out that since the driving member 64 has tapered engagement with the friction inserts 61 the frictional torque therebetween can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the adjusting nut 66.

In order to compensate for slight variation in jar heights and to provide a cushioned contact between the capping unit and the jar when the unit is brought into capping position, a cushioning spring 70 is provided between the driving sleeve 58 and the body member 59.

Reverting now to the conveyor unit R reciprocatory movement is imparted thereto from the driving unit D (as seen in Figures 2, 3 and 8) by means of a downwardly extending drive rod 71 secured to the carriage 14 at 72 and having a bracket 73 adjustably secured thereto by means of a locking screw 73a. The bracket 73 has a horizontal arm 74 secured thereto which is connected to the lower arm of the bell crank lever 45, 45 by means of an adjusting link 75 (see Fig. 1). Thus when the carriage 14 is moved up, under the crank action of the crank wheel drive, the jars are moved a fixed distance along the frame members 10 by the conveyor fingers and a jar is brought into capping position under the capping unit C. Since the capping unit is also supported from the cari'iage 14 it will. movetupwaidlyduring this torwardmovement of .the' conveyor- On the downward movement of thecarriage thejars r'ernai ionary andthe conveyor moves in .its backwardfstro il e. to the right as. viewed iii Figure 1, and the capping unittmov'es down into capping position totighten or set thecap. :fIn order to ensure ,proper fpo-sitioningof the jar to be capped under the capping head, pressurel brake mechanism B is .providedat the cappingstation which acts to pressure .hold theja r in thee'xactposition of alignment with the capping headto which it .was a'dvanced by the conveyor This;preverits the jar from riding past its correct capping position ascould be the case in the absence of such means, if. the machine be operated at such a high speed as .to so .impel 'the jars.

Referring particularly to Figures. 10 .to 13 inclusive, the brake mechanism comprisesabrake or pressure bar 103 having rearwardly'extending guiderods 104 slidably iitt ingthe holes .in brackets105fwhich are adjustablyseciired on the rods 39 of the guide rail G. The brake bar 103 is .urged forwardly, i. e. in a direction toward the jars bylmeans of pressure springs surrounding the rods 1104. Adjusting nuts '107 are provided for. adjusting the tensionof thesprings 106. e

As a jar approaches its capping position it engages the brake shoe portion 108 'of' the brake bar and it is pressureheld between the brake bar and the guide rail G thus preventing unintentional movement of the jar past its .capping positionL The brake bar can be adjusted inwardly and. outwardly on the rods 39 and locked in adjusted position bythe set screws 109.

: .jRevertin gnow to the operation of the clampingmecha- ,nismM- andreferring particularly to'Figuresl, 2, 6'and 8, a downwardly extending operating rod .76 is secured to the bracket 73. of. thedrive rod 71, as'by means of a pin 76a,so .as to reciprocate up and downtherewith. This operating rod 76 is c onnected at its lower end to a pair of pull bars 77, 77 of the-leverage L.

The operating rod 76 isguided in a tubular bearing member 81 rigidly attached. to themachine frame as by means of welds indicated at 82. The bearing member 81 has a bearing sleeve 83 forthe operating rod.. A

sleeve 80 extending downwardly from the bearing member 81 surrounds the operating rod 7 6 and houses a cushioning spring 78 seating at its lower end-in a bottom cup 79 for the sleeve 80 and being engaged at its upper end by a collar 84 "secured on the operating'rod.

As seen in Figuresl, 2, 6 and 8; the upper ends of the pull bars 77, 77 are connected to one end or" levers 85, 85 pivoted at 86 to the frame of the machine and connected at their other ends to links 87, 87,wl1ich in turn are conneclted'to yokes 88, connected to the clamp arms-50, 50

at} 89, 89. This linkage is gnided centrally by a guide member 90 secured to the machine frame having a slot for a guide roller monnted onthe connectingpin 93 of the links 87 and yokes88.

.In operation as the drive rodl i and connectedfiope rating rod 76 move downwardly, the clamp arms 50, 50 move inwardly to effect gripping of the jar, and as they move upwardly the arms 50 move outwardly away from the jar to release the grip (as seen in Fig. 8), and since the capping unit engages the jar in the downward movement of the drive rod the jar will be gripped while the cap is being tightened or set.

A complete cycle of operation of the machine, starting from the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 in which the capping head has just completed setting the cap, is as follows. First the conveyor moves in its forward stroke and simultaneously the capping head moves upwardly away from the jar and the clamps release their grip on the jar, it being noted that the jars are not advanced until the conveyor has traveled through the distance 44a to enable the capping head 68 to raise clear of the jar before jar movement occurs. When the conveyor reaches the end of its forward stroke the next jar to be capped will be in alignment with the capping head soh'eld by the brake shoe 108. Next the conveyor movesxin .its backward stroke and simultaneously the napping head moves downwardly to engageyand set thej' cap and; the clamps move to grip the jar. This cycle is repeated as jars are advanced step-by-step to capping position. -.The finished capped jar'saremoved alongjthe frame members 10 to a point of discharge.

As has been pointed out above I contemplateemploying the machine forfcapping jars of .various diameters and heights and to accomplish this, adju stments must be made whenchanging from one size of jar 'to another.

Assuming nowthat themachineis to be changed from capping jars of the large size illustrated'irifthe drawings to capping jars OfSlfifillif height and diarneter, the first step is to rotate the 'pulley 2 3 to bring the hole .94 provided in the operating rod 76 (Fig.fS) intoregistry with the hole 95 provided in the fixed bearing member '81 and to insert a holding pinin theregistering holes. It will be seen from Figure 2 that when these holes are in registry the crank pin 25 is in its up position.

After insertion of the hoIdingpin the shaft 96a of the pinion 96 (which pinion engages the rack 97 of the drive rod 71) is held by a suitable wrench against rotation while the set screw 30 of the r'od27 is loosened and the locking screw 73a is unlocked by handle 73!) to release the bracket 73., With these screws loosenedp the carriage 14" is lowered by rotating the pinion 96 until the capping head68 engages the cap of the smaller size jar. Next'th e screw 30 is tightened to lock the rod 27 in adjusted position and the screw '73a is tightened to secure the bracket 73 to the drive rod 71 and the holding pin is removed fromapertures 94, 95. After the capping headhas been'bi'oughtiinto engagement withthe jar cap in this manner, further adjustment of. cap contact, if necessary,'can be 'made by rneans ofthe adjusting nut 68a (Figure 7).

Next the clamp arms 50 are adjusted into engagement with the jar by turningthe turnbuckle 53} Further adjustment of the'clamp arms may bemade by adjusting the nuts 77a and 77b on "thescrew end 77c of the rod 76 to move the connector bar" 77d of the puller bars 77 77 up or down. The guiderails G and G are adjusted to suit the size of the jar in the manner above described. If the diameter of the jar is such as to require a shorter stroke of the conveyor this is accomplished by positioning the yoke 98 of the link 46 in one of the lower holes',99 of the bell crank lever 45. The position ofthe conveyor bar 41 may be adjusted to suitthe jarby means of the screw 100 of the link 46. This adjustment enables the jar to be exactly aligned with the capping head. Conveyor adjustment may also be made by adjusting the rod 101 of the adjusting link 75.

A further adjustmentdesirably tobe made with. change of jar diameters isthe position of the feed guide 35 which is accomplished by'means of the screw andslot connections'102 shown in Figure 3. {This guide 35 is moved in a direction toward the capping head for jars of smaller diameter. Also the lead in rail T is adjusted inwardly for the smaller jars.

In addition to the clamp arm adjustment above referred to, I find it desirable, when handling a large range of jar sizes in the machine, to provide several sizes of clamps so that clamps may be selected which will grip a particular size jar at the tangency point to ensure an effective grip on the jar. Also, in order to take care of a variety of cap sizes, capping heads 68 of various sizes may be employed.

It will be seen from the foregoing that there is provided an automatic machine adapted to speedily and effectively tighten or set the caps of jars to a predetermined tightness such that spoilage of the jar contents will not take place while still enabling the caps to be unscrewed without exerting excessive force, and in which a large variety of shapes and sizes of jars, bottles and caps can be handled with simple adjustments arrange-d to be conveniently made.

I claim:

1. In a machine for setting loosely-applied caps of screw-type jars, a capping unit having a capping head engageable with a jar cap to be set, a motor driving said capping unit, a carriage on which said capping unit and motor are mounted, driving means connected .to and operated by, said motor for imparting down and up reciprocatory motion to said carriage whereby said capping unit is engaged with a cap to be set and disengaged from a set cap, said driving means including a rotating crank and a pivotally anchored adjustable rod connected to said crank whereby up and down reciprocatory movement is imparted to the carriage, a drive rod secured to the carriage, a bracket adjustably secured on said drive rod, and linkage and leverage connected between said bracket and the clamping means to impart reciprocatory movement of the drive rod to the clamping means.

2. In a machine for setting loosely-applied caps of screw-type jars, a capping unit having a capping head engageable with a jar cap to be set, a motor driving said capping unit, a carriage on which said capping unit and motor are mounted, driving means connected to and operated by, said motor for imparting down and up reciprocatory motion to said carriage whereby said capping unit is engaged with a cap to be set and disengaged from a set cap, and a device adapted to aid substantially in the upstroke of the carriage and its associated motor including a spring adapted to be set on the downstroke so that its stored energy is released on the upstroke.

3. In a machine for setting loosely-applied caps of screw-type jars, a capping unit having a capping head engageable with a jar cap to be set, a motor driving said capping unit, a carriage on-Which said capping unit and motor are mounted, driving means connected to and operated by, said motor for imparting down and up reciprocatory motion to said carriage whereby said capping unit is engaged with a cap to be set and disengaged from a set cap, and a resilient device adapted to aid substantially in the upstroke of the carriage and its associated motor including a spring adapted to be set on the downstroke so that its stored energy is released on the upstroke, together with means for adjusting said resilient device.

4. In a machine for setting loosely-applied caps of screw-type jars, a capping unit having a capping head engageable with a jar cap to be set, a motor driving said capping .unit, a carriage on which said capping unit and motor are mounted, driving means connected to and operated by, said motor for imparting down and up reciprocatory motion to said carriage whereby said capping unit is engaged with a cap to be set and disengaged from a set cap, clamping means comprising a pair of arms mounted respectively on pivots and adapted to move toward and away from a jar on opposite sides thereof, and means connected between the arms and said carriage for operating the arms in predetermined relationship with the movement of the carriage.

5. A construction in accordance with claim 4 wherein said pivots are movable toward and away from one an other whereby to vary the operating range of movement of the arms for accommodating jars of different diameters.

6. In a machine for setting loosely-applied caps of screw-type jars, a rotatable capping head, a motor having driving connection with said head to rotate it, a carriage on which said motor is mounted, means for mounting said carriage for up and down reciprocation including an operative interconnection between the motor and the carriage for etfecting said reciprocation, a conveyor unit for ad vancing jars into capping relation With said capping head, a clamping unit for holding the jar on which the cap is to be set against rotation while the cap is being set, said clamping unit having a grip disposed on one side of said jar and a grip disposed on the opposite side of said jar, both grips being mounted for movement into and out of gripping contact with said jar, and a driving connection between said carriage and clamping unit for imparting gripping and releasing movement to both grips of said clamping unit.

7. A construction in accordance with claim 6 in which each grip comprises two pairs of grippers each mounted on a V-shaped member, the grips of one pair acting on the jar diametrically opposite the grips of the other pair and means for adjusting the grips relative to the respec: tive V-shaped members.

8. In a machine for setting loosely-applied caps of screw-type jars, a carriage, a support on which said carriage is mounted for up and down reciprocation, a motor mounted on said carriage, a capping unit mounted on said carriage, a driving system operativcly connecting the carriage and the motor whereby said carriage is reciprocated, means for guiding a series of advancing jars into cap setting relation with said capping unit, a clamping unit for holding a jar on which the cap is to be set against rotation while the cap is being set, said unit including grippers mounted for jar-engaging and jar-releasing movement, a driving connection between said carriage and said clamping unit for imparting said jar-engaging and jarreleasing movement to said grippers, means for adjusting the position of said carriage on said support to accommodate jars of varying height, means for adjusting said guide means to accommodate jars of varying diameter, and means for adjusting said clamping means to accommodate jars of varying diameter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 839,776 Lewis Dec. 25, 1906 866,788 Holstein Sept. 24, 1907 1,099,227 Whiton June 9, 1914 1,598,392 Risser Aug. 31, 1926 1,664,514 Kramer Apr. 3, 1928 1,669,726 Scale May 15, 1928 1,673,091 Risser June 12, 1928 2,026,118 Barnby Dec. 31, 1935 2,034,878 Podel Mar. 24, 1936 

